Dell says "sorry" for installing vulnerable digital certificate

Dell has apologized as it confirmed via a blog post that a certificate (eDellRoot), installed on its PCs that introduced a security vulnerability.

It is said that the certificate allows attackers to cryptographically impersonate HTTPS-protected websites. However, the company has issued a software tool that removes the transport layer security credential from affected machines.

The certificate will not reinstall itself, once it is properly removed using the recommended Dell process.

“The certificate was implemented as part of a support tool and intended to make it faster and easier for our customers to service their system. Customer security and privacy is a top concern and priority for Dell; we deeply regret that this has happened and are taking steps to address it,” the company said in the blog post.

According to the blog post, Dell’s customers, Hanno Böck, Joe Nord and Kevin Hicks, aka rotorcowboy, informed the company about the presence of such certificate on its PC.

Dell has claimed that the certificate was not a malware but was there to provide the system service tag to Dell online support allowing us to quickly identify the computer model, making it easier and faster to service their customers.

“We have posted instructions to permanently remove the certificate from your system here. We will also push a software update starting on November 24 that will check for the certificate, and if detected remove it. Commercial customers who reimaged their systems without Dell Foundation Services are not affected by this issue. Additionally, the certificate will be removed from all Dell systems moving forward,” the company added.